Unchanged Heart in Life and Death

9.0 (1 votes)• 1936• 90m•Released

Storyline & Full Plot Breakdown

10x Extended

Minimized by default • Click to expand full plot & stills

Watch Full Movies At The Bottom ↓

Probably the most sheerly entertaining of all the films made in 1930s Shanghai by 'underground' leftists, this riff on The Prisoner of Zenda is funny and engaging from first to last. The irresistible Yuan Muzhi (director of Street Angel the following year) plays both Li Tao, a revolutionary on the run, and Liu Yuanjie, an American-Chinese teacher visiting China with his fiancée. Liu is mistaken for Li and thrown into jail; Li teams up with the fiancée (Chen Bo'er, Yuan's real life wife) to get him out of prison and into the spirit of revolution. Ying Yunwei (who started out playing female roles in Chinese opera) uses chiaroscuro lighting, highly mobile camerawork and zippy pacing to give it maximum impact, but it's Yuan who really keeps you watching.

Click to expand full storyline with movie images →

Production Details

Languages: Mandarin

Director: Yunwei Ying

Starring Cast: Muzhi Yuan, Bo'er Chen, Yiu Kwang-Chao, Sun Jing, Ying Yin

Cast

Muzhi Yuan

Li Tao / Liu Yuanjie

Bo'er Chen

Yiu Kwang-Chao

Sun Jing

Ying Yin

Audience Reviews & Breakdown

Read and share community scores for Unchanged Heart in Life and Death

2 Reviews

Recommended Reviews

Similar titles recommended for fans of Unchanged Heart in Life and Death

Mexicali

Movie - 2026, 2h 15m

7.7 / 10

ActionDrama

A former special forces contractor is forced out of retirement as an avocado farmer in Mexico when local gangsters try to force him and his family off their farm.

View Details

Black Dog

Movie - 2024, 2h 15m

7.1 / 10

Drama

On the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. These two lonely souls embark on a journey together.

View Details

Caught by the Tides

Movie - 2024, 2h 15m

6.8 / 10

Drama

Years after her boyfriend left her for the big city and promised to bring her there after he’s settled down, a Chinese woman sets out on a journey to be reunited with him.

View Details

The Unforgivable

Movie - 2021, 2h 15m

7.4 / 10

DramaCrime

A woman is released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past.

View Details

Taipei Suicide Story

Movie - 2020, 2h 15m

7.5 / 10

Drama

A receptionist at a suicide hotel in Taipei forms a fleeting friendship over the course of one night with a guest who can’t decide if she wants to live or die.

View Details

One Second

Movie - 2020, 2h 15m

7.3 / 10

Drama

A movie fan escapes from a labour camp during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and strikes up a relationship with a homeless female vagabond.

View Details